View from the deck at the back of the house. Pine trees planted along the property lines will ultimately block the view of the upscale subdivisions surrounding the house which was originally surrounded by farmland.
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There is always a butterfly on every Christmas tree. The Butterfly Fund was established in memory of Emily Barger and Maddie Harrill, who died of a rare form of childhood cancer. Emily was Matt BargerÕs niece.
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Nancy purchased this cross at the Cathedral of Barcelona when she was there tending to her mother who fell ill, and later passed away, during a vacation.in Spain. Nancy says, ÒThe hospital had weird visiting hours, so I spent a lot of time visiting cathedrals.Ó
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Matt Barger brought home this trophy, Tom the Turkey. Nancy says, ÒI was mortified when he brought it home. HeÕs so proud of it. I want to like it, but all I can think is ÔthereÕs a turkey hanging in my living room.Õ IÕm just glad he hasnÕt gotten a bear or a deer yet.Ó
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Family pieces fill the dining room. Nancy wanted a room that was Òkind of equestrienne-ish.Ó The chandelier, a gift from NancyÕs mother, has been in every house sheÕs owned. The cabinet sits in front of a fireplace uncovered during renovations.
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Nancy found the windowÑnow leaning against a wall in the master bedroomÑin Kent KendrickÕs basement. She had the mirrors put in and had to have the wood strategically shaved in order to get the piece into the house.
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The vanity in the roomy master bath features two large farmhouse sinks. ÒMy husband is six foot four,Ó says Nancy. ÒHe needs a big sink. We had everything custom built for his height.Ó
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The photo slightly right of center is of the Brumley Hotel, now the General Morgan Inn, in Greeneville, Tennessee which was owned by NancyÕs great grandmother Eva starting in the 1920Õs.
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Nancy describes the theme of BenÕs bedroom as ÒEnglish Hunt Lodge.Ó The trees in the childrenÕs bedrooms match the themes and colors of the rooms with new ornaments added every year.
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Nancy Barger has fun decorating for Christmas, experimenting with different colors and deciding which of six sets of six stockings the family will use in a given year.

She describes the flocked tree in the living room this year as “birchy, gold, and romantic rustic. It’s different. We’ve done burlap; we’ve done hot pink and green.” The plaid stockings with fur trim that hang from the mantel were chosen to complete this year’s rustic look.

The angels on the tree in the living room are hung in memory of Nancy’s mother, Becky Thornton, who passed away in July after becoming ill during a vacation in Spain. Nancy purchased the ornate cross that hangs on the tree at the Cathedral of Barcelona when she was there with her mother. Nancy says, “The hospital had weird visiting hours, so I spent a lot of time visiting cathedrals.”

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One of the home's Christmas trees occupies a corner of the living room. When the Bargers purchased the house, there was a tree growing through the roof of this room.(Photo: SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)

This year the tree in the guest room, dubbed the “tacky tree,” was decorated in honor of Nancy’s mother.

“My mother loved everything overdone and slightly tacky,” Nancy says. “So for this tree we used bright colors and wrapped the gifts in flamingo paper.” She describes the striped stockings on the mantel as “just tacky enough.”

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Close view of ornaments on the "tacky tree" in the guest room.(Photo: SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)

The children’s trees are decorated to match the themes and colors of their rooms, with new ornaments added every year. Parker, 9, has a tree with a baseball theme. Ben, 4, has a nature-themed tree. Emma, 11, and Catie, 8, have girly-pink rooms in the attic. Their twin trees, one slightly taller than the other, sit in the reading nook between their rooms.

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Emma's and Catie's matching trees sit in the reading nook between their attic bedrooms. The third floor, including the nook and two bedrooms, is the girliest in the house.(Photo: SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)

The mix-it-up style that characterizes Nancy’s holiday decorating is a perfect fit for the family’s home, an 1899 farmhouse on Westland Drive that was rescued by Nancy and husband Matt, who teaches fourth grade in Madisonville, Tennessee, just four and a half years ago.

Originally the house included three rooms downstairs and three upstairs. In the 1980s, the owners at the time added a kitchen and living room to the back of the first floor. By the time the Bargers purchased the house, it had been vacant for three years and had a tree growing in the living room.

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Front exterior of the renovated home. Built in 1899, it had been vacant three years and was "completely dilapidated," the Bargers said, when they purchased the house.(Photo: SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)

“We looked at so many historic houses,” says Nancy. “”Everything was already redone. We wanted old and dilapidated. And it had to have big rooms to fit all of our rugs.”

Many of the rugs Nancy references are Sarouk rugs dating back to the Brumley Hotel in Greeneville, Tennessee, which was owned by Nancy’s family from the 1920s until 1986, when Scott Niswonger purchased the property and converted it into the General Morgan Inn.

The family hospitality gene is still going strong. Nancy is owner of Hunter Valley Farm, a popular event venue in West Knoxville. Along with husband Matt, she also owns Bargers’ Beer Trucks. She further nurtures her creative bent with Tallulah’s Around Town, a vintage Airstream turned pop-up boutique.

Nancy describes the home’s style as “farmhouse meets Sequoyah Hills.”

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The kitchen and living room have an open concept. Nancy chose quartz countertops because they're practical and stain-resistant.(Photo: SAUL YOUNG/NEWS SENTINEL)

The kitchen and bathrooms have been completely updated and tailored to the family’s needs. Nancy chose quartz counter tops for the kitchen because they’re practical and stain-resistant. The vanity in the roomy master bath features two large farmhouse sinks.

“My husband is six-foot-four,” says Nancy. “He needs a big sink. We had everything custom built for his height.”

Modern amenities complement furniture passed down through generations, things from the Brumley Hotel, and pieces as random as Nancy’s grandfather’s sword and ash bucket and her mother’s pewter trophies from equestrienne events.

“We never went to a furniture store,” says Nancy. “Except to buy a couch. Everything else was always handed down. My mother traveled the world and brought things back. We got odds and ends from other family members.”

Husband Matt contributed one piece Nancy would not have selected. Tom the Turkey, a hunting trophy, hangs on a wall in the living room.

Nancy says, “I was mortified when he brought it home. He’s so proud of it. I want to like it, but all I can think is ‘there’s a turkey hanging in my living room.’ I’m just glad he hasn’t gotten a bear or a deer yet.”